Snubbing means for springs of railway car trucks



Aug. 23, 1955 R. J. OLANDER 2,715,877

SNUBBING MEANS FOR SPRINGS OF RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed March 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inve 72/02": 1202 2023 .IOZanfler.

Aug. 23, 1 955 SNUBBING MEANS Filed March 25, 1950 FOR SPRINGS OF RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 III/III! [III/III" 9 g f lIIIIIII/ IIIIIIIIII/ v I I I I III'III Invenfir: 1202,0323 I Olpnaer United States Patent C SNUBBING lVIEANS FOR SPRINGS OF RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Roland J. Olander, Chicago, 111., assignor to W. H. Miner, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application March 25, 1950, Serial No. 151,906

4 Claims. (Cl. 105-197) This invention relates to improvements in means for snubbing the vertical action of railway car truck springs, and more particularly to friction shock absorbing means for this purpose.

The main object of the invention is to provide a supplemental means in connection with the springs of a railway car truck for snubbing or dampening the action of the springs, thereby reducing the oscillations and vibrations of the springs to such an extent that the car and its lading will be protected against damage.

Another object of the invention is to provide snubbing means comprising friction elements at opposite sides of the usual spring cluster of the truck, having sliding frictional engagement with friction surface portions on the side frame of the truck, wherein the friction elements are forced against the friction surface portions of the side frame through the pressure exerted by the truck springs.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide means of the character described in the preceding paragraph, Wherein the friction elements have wedging engagement with wedge means carried by the truck bolster to force the friction elements into tight frictional contact with the friction surface portions of the side frame.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, partly broken away, through the side frame mem ber of a railway car truck, illustrating my improvements in connection therewith, the section being taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2. Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 3-3 of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, with the truck bolster, truck springs, and friction elements omitted. Figure 5 is an elevational view of the wedge member of my improved mechanism, looking from right to left in Figure 2. Figure 6 is a top plan view of the wedge member as shown in Figure 2. Figure 7 is a top plan view of the two friction elements or shoes of my improved mechanism, as illustrated in Figure 2. Figure 8 is an elevational view of the left hand shoe shown in Figure 7, looking from right to left in said figure. Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 9-9 of Figure 8. Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 10-10 of Figure 8. Figure 11 is an elevational view of the detachable friction block shown at the right hand side of Figure 1 and looking from right to left in said figure. Figure 12 is a top plan view of the friction block shown at the right hand side of Figure 1.

In said drawings, 10 indicates one of the side frame members of a railway car truck. The side frame member 10, as shown, is in the form of a casting and has top and bottom members 11 and 12, connected by spaced vertical sections 13-13, forming guides for the usual truck bolster. As will be understood by those skilled in this art, the truck includes two side frame members 10-10 and a truck bolster 14. The bolster 14 has its opposite ends guided between the vertical sections 13-13 ice of the truck side frames 10-10, and is supported on said side frames in the usual manner by the truck springs of the car. As most clearly shown in Figure 1, the sections 13-13 are inwardly offset at their upper end portions to provide guides 16-16, which cooperate with the usual seats at opposite sides of the bolster 14. The opening between the vertical sections 13-13 is widened below the guides 116-16, thereby providing, in effect, pockets 17- 17 in the sections 13-13 at opposite sides of said opening. The truck illustrated in the drawings is of the spring plankless type and the truck springs are supported directly on the bottom members 12-12 of the side frames 10-10, the usual bottom spring follower plate 18 being interposed between each truck spring cluster and the corresponding bottom member.

In carrying out my invention, I provide at each end of the truck bolster a wedge block A abutting the underneath side of said bolster, a pair of friction shoes BB in wedging engagement with the block and in sliding engagement with the bolster guides of the side frame of the car truck, fixed friction members C-C forming continuations of the bolster guides, and with which the friction shoes have sliding engagement, and springs D, D, D, and D cooperating with the shoes B-B and supporting the truck bolster of the car.

The wedge block A is in the form of a flat, rectangular plate, provided with a depending central rib 19 extending lengthwise of said plate. The rib 1.9 is relatively heavy and is formed with downwardly converging wedge faces 20-20 at opposite ends. The wedge block A bears directly on the fiat underneath side of the bolster 14, being disposed transversely of the latter between the guides 16-16 of the corresponding side frame. As shown in Figure l, the wedge block A terminates short of the opposite sides of the bolster 14.

The friction shoes 13-13 are of like design, each comprising a vertically disposed, platelike section 21, curved transversely at opposite ends, horizontally disposed wings 22-22 projecting inwardly from the top edge of the platelike section 21, vertically disposed, laterally spaced, curved webs 23-23 depending from the wings 22-22 and forming continuations of the curved end portions of the plate section 21, each wing 22, together with the corresponding curved web 23 and the curved end section 21, forming a spring pocket 24. The spaced webs 23-23 are connected by a transversely disposed wall, which is inclined downwardly away from the plate section 21 and presents a wedge face 25 correspondingly inclined to and cooperating with the wedge face 20 at the corresponding side of the wedge block A. The platelike section 21 presents a vertically disposed, substantially fiat friction surface 26 between the curved ends thereof, which friction surface is slidingly engaged with the guide 16 and fixed friction member C at the corresponding side of the side frame 10.

The fixed friction members C-C are of similar design, each being in the form of a heavy block having a longitudinally extending, vertically disposed friction surface 27 on its outer side, with which the friction surface of the shoe B, at the corresponding side of the wedge block A, is slidingly engaged. Each member C is seated in the pocket 17 at the corresponding side of the bolster opening of the side frame, beneath the bolster guide 16, the friction surface 27 forming a continuation of the flat surface of this guide. In other Words, the bolster guide 16 presents a vertically disposed friction surface, which is vertically aligned with the surface 27, and the shoe B at the corresponding side of the wedge block A slides vertically on these surfaces. At the upper and lower ends thereof, the surface 27 is preferably beveled off, as indicated at 28-28, to facilitate smooth sliding movement of the shoe B. Each friction member C is held in place by laterally outwardly projecting, vertical flanges 29.29 at opposite sides thereof, embracing the corresponding vertical section 13 of the side frame member 10.

As shown most clearly in figure 1, the two shoes BB are disposed at opposite sides of the wedge block A in wedgiag engagement with the wedge faces 20 of said block, and in sliding frictional engagement with the bolster guides 16-16 and the fixed friction members C- C, which form continuations of the guides 16-16.

The springs which are in the form of helical coils, are four in number for each side frame and serve to yieldingly support the corresponding end of the bolster 14 in the same manner as the usual truck springs. The springs D are arranged in pairs at opposite sides of the bolster opening of the side frame, each pair being associated with the corresponding friction shoe B, the members of each pair being disposed at opposite sides of the Wall forming the wedge face of the shoe, with their upper ends engaged in the pockets 24 '24 and bearing on the wings 2222 of said shoe, and with their lower ends seated on the spring follower plate 18. As will be evident, the four springs D DDD serve to yieldi'iigly support the bolster 14 and, further, to forcibly press the wedge faces 25 '25 of the shoes BB against the Wedge faces 2020 of the wedge block A, to spread the shoes apart into tight frictional contact with the bolster guides 16-16 and the friction surfaces 2727 of the fixed friction members CC.

The operation of my improved snubbing means is as follows: Upon relative approach of the truck bloster and the side frame support for the truck springs, the wedge block A is forced downwardly against the friction shoes 13 13, which are iresisted by the truck springs D-DD- D, spreading the shoes apart and forcing the same into tight frictional engagement with the friction surfaces of the t side frame and the friction members CC. High frictional resistance is thus provided during sliding movement of the shoes B-B on said friction surfaces, thereby elfectiyely snubbing the action of the truck springs DD-DD.

I claim: r

1. In a railway car trucl; including a side frame having laterally spaced, vertical bolster guides thereon, and a spring space below said guides which is laterally enlarged outwardly beyond said guides, thereby providing pockets below said guides, said guides presenting vertically extending friction surfaces, the combination with a vertically movable bolster accommodated between said guides; of fixed friction blocks beneath said bolster guides seated in said pockets and presenting vertically extending friction surfaces, in vertical alignment respectively with said first namedfriction surfaces and continuous therewith; a cluster of truck springs beneath said bolster within said spring space; friction shoes at opposite sides of said bolster supported on said springs and having sliding movement on said friction-surfaces of said bolster guides and the continuations thereof on said friction blocks; and a wedge member on which said bolster is supported engaged between said shoes and movable downwardly with said bolster to spread said shoes apart.

2. In a railway car truck including a true-k side frame having laterally spaced, vertically extending bolster guides presenting opposed, vertically extending friction surfaces, the combination with a vertically movable bolster accommodated between said guides, said bolster having a fiat underneath surface; of-aplurality of springs arranged in sets supported on said frame beneath said bolster; a wedge including a flatplate section bearing on the underneath surface of said bolster, said plate having -a depending 'rib thereon extending in a direction transversely with respect-to said bolster and being accommodated between said sets of springs, said rib having th'emajor portion thereof disposed below the upper ends of said springs, said rib having wedge faces-at opposite ends thereof, said faces converging inwardly in downward direction; a pair of friction shoes beneath said plate section of the wedge, the shoes of said pair being disposed respectively at opposite sides of said bolster; and a downwardly extending, central section on each shoe, also accommodated in the space between said sets of springs, said central section presenting a downwardly inclined wedge face, the sections of said shoe at opposite sides of said central section present-ing horizontal winglike spring abutments which are entirely above said central section and rest on the top ends of said sets of springs, the wedge faces of said shoes respectively engaging the 'wedge faces of the rib of said wedge, each of said shoes having a lengthwise extending friction surface engaged with the friction surface at the corresponding side of said bolster.

3. In a railway car truck, including a truck side frame having top and bottom members connected by laterally spaced vertical sections, the combination with a vertically movable bolster guided between said vertical sections; of a member bearing on the underneath side of said bolster, said member including a depending wedge projection extending transversely With-respect to said bolster, said wedge projection having downwardly extending, inwardly converging wedge faces at'opposite ends thereof; a'cluster of truck springs beneath said bolster supported on the bottom member of said side frame; vertically disposed friction surfaces on said vertical sections of the side frame; a pair of friction shoes having downwardly inclined wedge faces in wedging engagement with said wedge faces of said wedge projection, each of said shoes having wings thereon disposed "at opposite 'sides of-said wedge projection, said wings being at the upper ends of said wedge faces and bearing on the upper ends of said springs *of said cluster; and friction surfaces on said shoes slidingly engaged with said vertically disposed friction surfaces on the vertical sections of said side frame.

4. 'In a railway car truck including 'a truck side frame having laterally spaced, vertically "extending, opposed guide surfaces thereon, the combination with a vertically movable bolster between said opposed guide "surfaces; of a cluster of truck springs beneath said bolster, said cluster comprisingtwo sets of adjacent springs; a wedge on which "said bolster is supported, said wedge having a depending central rib'there'on accommodated between the springs of said two sets, said rib lying in a plane transverse to the bolster, said rib "having upwardly and outwardly inclined opposite end portions presenting down- Wardly converging wedge faces; friction'shoes at opposite sides'ofs'aid bolsteryeach shoe having depending, laterally spaced walls cor'n'rected by a web which is inclined References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,117,294 Wilson Nov. .17, 1914 2,170,862 Hobson Aug. 29,, 1939 2,346,860 Mohl Apr. 18,, 1944 2,352,595 Bachman July '4, 1944 2,362,989 'Cottrell Nov. 21, 1944 2,365,199 Light Dec. 19, .1944 2,379,521 Haseltine July 3, 1945 2,395,967 Has'eltine Mar. 5, 1946 2,396,796 Lounsburya Mar. 19, 1946 2,564,346 Shaw -1 Aug. 14, 1951 

